Gully Foyle's African News Thread

[politicus]

The leader of the Zimbabwean opposition alliance NCA Lovemore Madhuku has less than loving feelings towards  his country's ambitious First Lady Grace Mugabe (49) and predicts civil war will erupt if she succeeds her elderly husband Robert Mugabe (90) as the country's president.



Bobby and Grace Mugabe

Speaking at a policy dialogue by the Southern African Political and Economic Series to analyse Zanu PF's succession matrix, Madhuku said Zimbabweans would go to war if Grace becomes the country's new leader after her ailing husband.

Lovemore Madhuku:

- "Grace, the President of Zimbabwe! When we are there? Not at all!"

- "It would be absurd to wake up one day and be told Grace is the President. We would go to war."

- "Yes, she can be a chair of the women's league, address rallies but she cannot be a President."

- "You cannot have a country where you say l ran it for 34 years and when l left my wife took over ... people have to find any unlawful means of stopping any insanity by Zanu PF that would want to leave us with Grace Mugabe as President."

- "For the next 241 years we don't want to see any Mugabe in power."

The background is, that Grace was nominated to take over as head of Zanu PF's women's league at the party's congress in December 2013, since then she has just concluded a whirlwind nationwide "meet-the-people"-tour which has left commentators warning the First Lady could be targeting the presidency.

Her rallies have featured brutal attacks of female Vice President Joice Mujuru, previously seen as potential successor to Mugabe although struggling to put off a challenge by Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa for the job.

Grace has demanded that Mujuru steps down saying she is not qualified to be Vice President and accusing her of illicit diamond dealing and running an extortion racket demanding 10% shareholdings in private companies - so quite vicious attacks.



Joice Mujuru

Political commentators have warned Zimbabweans to ready themselves for a "republican monarchy" experience akin to countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and North Korea where leaders were succeeded by family members.

But according to Madhuku "Zimbabweans would not accept "a monarchy".

- "I don't think we are at the level of those countries (DRC and North Korea). Do you think we are at such a level? If we are at such a level - well ..."

- "They (Zanu PF) will do all the madness, but let's not allow this madness to carry us away."

Grace Mugabe (popularly known as Dis Grace for her lavish lifestyle, extravagant shopping sprees and corruption) also got a PhD in sociology from the University of Zimbabwe in September after a full two years of studying... the degree was awarded by the Chancellor of the university, a fellow named Robert Mugabe.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/sep/15/grace-mugabe-phd-award-first-lady-zimbabwe-university

[politicus]

The parliament of Mauritius has been dissolved. New elections will be held within 5 monts - but likely before the end of the year.

Their Indo-Mauritian Labour Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam wants to be directly elected President with the authority to appoint both governor and deputy governors of the central bank + finance minister and chair the Council of Ministers and National Assembly when he deems it necessary. So if his coalition with the Mauritius Militant Movement wins important constitutional changes will happen.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-2782709/Mauritius-parliament-dissolved-election-lead-constitutional-change.html

The Labour government has been pretty succesful and the small island nation topped the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) for the eight time in a row this year.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201410140448.html

[politicus]

The Zimbabwe post gave me an idea for a song: Me and Bobby MooGobby. To be sung by Zombie Janice Joplin.

The idea has already been taken (even if it isn't exactly Janis Joplin singing )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BduAUenHAPY

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to eat"

[politicus]

Kenyan transgender activist Audrey Mbugua (by far Kenya's most famous transsexual), won a landmark case on Tuesday when the High Court ordered the Kenya National Examinations Council to change her name on her academic certificates and remove the male gender mark on Mbugua's certificates, issued in the name of Andrew Mbugua.

Transgender people in Kenya find it virtually impossible to get work because of the discrepancy between the gender on their certificates and the one they present as.

In July, Mbugua won another legal victory when the High Court ordered the National NGO Council to register her group Transgender Education and Advocacy and pay their legal fees.

The media attention attracted by Mbugua's litigation has raised the profile of transgender issues in Kenya a lot.

Mbugua has been nominated for the Dutch government's Human Rights Tulip Award for "her innovative and courageous work."

[politicus]

Zambian President Michael Sata (77) has died after being ill since May. Succession is a bit unclear as Vice President Dr. Guy Scott (70) is probably barred from taking over, since his parents where British born and a 1996 amendment to the constitution forbids citizens with non-Zambian parentage from running for President or acting as President.

Minister  of Defence and Justice Edgar Lungu has been acting President since Sata left Zambia on May 20 for treatment abroad.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201410290201.html

There is a Supreme Court ruling stating that the requirement that parents must be Zambian citizens deals only with those who were present in Zambia, or could have become Zambian at independence in 1964 (and chose not to) and since both Scotts parents became Zambians following independence he should be able to become President, but its all a bit unclear. If he is able to succeed Scott will become the first white President in Africa post-apartheid.


Guy Scott

Sata had a 20 year political career and finally won the Presidency in 2011, but his health failed. Tired old man even before he became ill.

[politicus]

The rule was made to prevent former President Kenneth Kaunda (whose father was Malawi-born) from contesting the 1996 presidential election (they even tried to strip Kaunda of his Zambian citizenship in 1999, claiming he was a Malawian).

Edgar Lungu is acting President, not Scott.

[politicus]

Zambian constitutional crisis over who is to serve as Acting President is already under way.

When Guy Scott today called Acting President Edgar Lungu asking him to hand over the instruments of power, the Defence and Justice Minister + PF Secretary General refused to immediately cede power. Guy Scott responded by attempting to summon the heads of the armed services and security services to his home, but they declined. Lungu, who reportedly has support from senior officers, has refused to immediately hand over power and instead insists that the cabinet must sit and work through the issues according to protocol.

Brigadier General Godrey Miyanda: “It is my contention that Dr Guy Scott does NOT qualify to be President of Zambia under the current Constitution; and further that in view of this he does NOT qualify even to be appointed Vice President. I contend that the position of Republican President is ONE office comprising two tiers for purposes of continuity (the President and his Vice).”

[politicus]

The conflict in PF dates back to their 2011 congress, where Sata basically couped the party and forced them to vote for a single list composed of his own A-team wing thereby assuming full control of the party apparatus.
Fred M'membe, who is the editor of the countrys leading newspaper The Post, was an important part of this alliance (also nicknamed the cartel) and PFs youth wing has recently threatened to "deal with him" if he interferes in politics again.
In later August Sata's and Scott's chosen bid for successor Wynter Kabimba was fired both as Minister of Justice and PF General Secretary by his cabinet colleagues led by his rival the Minister of Finance Alexander Chikwanda. Both wings claim the other side is corrupt (as usual in Africa..).

http://zambiareports.com/2014/08/28/breaking-news-wynter-kabimba-fired/

[politicus]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zambia/11195196/I-am-Africas-first-white-democratic-leader-says-Zambian-vice-president.html

Hopefully we will get more info about why this happened, it may indicate that Alexander Chikwanda has less control over the cabinet than assumed, or perhaps that he has decided the risk of damaging Zambia's international reputation by sidelining Scott is not worth it, since he has already outmaneuvered Kabimba. Another possibility is that he feared Lungu might become a rival if he was appointed.

[politicus]

National Liberation War Veterans Association national chairman Commander Jabulani Sibanda has inadvertently confirmed that the corruption and extortion allegations being levelled against his patron Vice President Joice Mujuru are partly true!

In an interview with NewsDay yesterday Sibanda effectively admitted, that the allegations are true when he said it was wrong for the First Lady Grace Mugabe and other Zanu-PF officials to publicly criticise Vice President Mujuru for "crimes" which were committed by her late husband Retired General Solomon Mujuru!

Legal analysts say this is a tacit confirmation that Vice President Mujuru's hands might not be clean after all, since she were running a family business with her husband where she would know how equity would have been acquired in the companies in which they had an interest, and since she has inherited the late General Mujuru's entire estate.

In an interview last night Harare lawyer and legislator Mr Jonathan Samkange said that what  Sibanda was saying constituted a de facto confession.

"What Commander Sibanda is simply telling us is that his principal, which he so adores despite her inevitable fall, was equally guilty by association. It is common cause that this was a family business and Vice President Mujuru would obviously know that people were being extorted and she has not distanced herself from that."

Meanwhile Mujuru got standing ovations from the opposition MPs when parliament opened yesterday...

[politicus]

Call it a coup or call it a revolution, but the Burkinabe military  has dissolved Parliament, declared martial law, and is forming a transitional government; it appears Comapore is no longer in charge.

My bet: we will be disappointed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29840100

Not me, you can only become disappointed if you had positive expectations in the first place.

[politicus]

Robert Mugabe yesterday publicly asked his supporters to dump VP Joice Mujuru and her supporters at the December 2-7 ZANU-PF party congress.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201410310112.html

[politicus]

Power struggle between rival military factions in Burkina Faso:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/power-struggle-burkina-faso-president-flees/

The second in command in the presidential guard Lt. Colonel Isaac Zida has established himself as the leader of a group of young army officers and tries to take over claiming army chief General Navere Honore Traore is "Blaise Compaore’s henchman".

[politicus]

Lt. Colonel Zida is now in full control after an agreement with General Traore.

Blaise Compaoré has arrived to the Ivory Coast according to military sources speaking to AFP. He is staying in the luxurious (and ironically named in this context...) President Hotel in Yamoussoukro.

[politicus]

Four Tanzanian opposition parties have signed an agreement of cooperation, including fielding a joint presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections. The new cooperation will start with the local elections on December 14, 2014.

The parties forming the coalition are Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), Civic United Front (CUF), NCCR-Mageuzi and National League for Democracy (NLD), which have agreed to harmonise their policies and use common arguments.

The parties aim to "jointly raise public awareness" and convince Tanzanians to vote against the governments proposed constitution, which fails to implement a more federalist structure and instead increases presidential powers. Tanzanians vote on the new constitution in a referendum in April next year.

The four-party coalition emphasize that they support and will protect the union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar without creating conflict of interests between Zanzibaris and mainlanders, as they believe the proposed constitution will.

CUF Secretary General and Zanzibar First Vice-President Seif Sharif Hamad: "Zanzibaris are against the proposed constitution, which deserves to go into the dustbin."

The background is that Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and its predessor TANU (which merged with the Zanzibarian Afro-Shirazi Party in 1977 to form CCM) has ruled Tanzania since independence in 1961 and is the longest reigning party in Africa.

http://www.dw.de/tanzanias-opposition-unites-ahead-of-elections/a-18024239

[politicus]

Opposition parties and civil society groups are calling for a mass rally against Zida and reject the idea of a transitional military government.

http://www.dw.de/burkina-faso-opposition-parties-reject-military-takeover/a-18034674

In a statement, they warned the military against enacting a coup, demanding instead a "democratic and civilian transition."

"The political opposition and civil society organizations reaffirm that the victory from the popular uprising - and consequently the management of the transition - belongs to the people and should not in any way be confiscated by the army," they said in a statement issued following talks on Saturday.

"Our consultation reaffirmed that this transition should be democratic and civilian in character," it said.

They also called for a new mass rally in the capital, Ouagadougou, on Sunday at the site where over a million people gathered earlier this week to demand the resignation of former President Blaise Compaore.

So big rally today - and a possible clash with the army...

[politicus]

I suppose the opposition is going for a government of opposition parties and civil society leaders.

[politicus]

DRC gynecologist Denis Mukwege (59) gets the 2014 Sakharov prize for helping rape victims in wartorn Eastern Congo, where he founded the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, South Kivu in 1998 to help women and girls who had been raped during the conflict raging in DRC.
Denis Mukwege will collect the prize in Strasbourg next month.


Denis Mukwege

Mukwege said in a statement:

"The Sakharov Prize is a strong signal, telling the women they have not been abandoned to a barbaric fate. It tells them that the world listens to them".

"It is a message of encouragement and hope for all those who struggle for their human rights, for peace and democracy in the DRC and all over the world".

http://allafrica.com/stories/201410230995.html

[politicus]

Protesters where not allowed to occupy Place de la Nation in Ouagadougou or take the national TV-station RTB Television. Saran Sereme and 100 of her PCD supporters dispersed. Shots fired, but apparently only warning shots.


Saran Sereme

http://news.yahoo.com/gunfire-rings-state-tv-headquarters-burkina-faso-141748668--finance.html

http://news.yahoo.com/burkina-faso-opposition-parties-african-union-reject-army-000143772--finance.html

[politicus]

It turns out Saran Sereme apparently tried a coup by declaring herself President on live television!

http://allafrica.com/stories/201411031426.html

"Opposition politician Saran Sereme had planned to declare herself president while on camera, according to eyewitness. However, the arrival of former Defense Minister and army chief Kouame Lougue reportedly interrupted Sereme's alleged plan to take power. News agency AFP also reported that technicians had staged a walk out to purposely interrupt the transmission. Military guards on the scene dispersed demonstrators from the state broadcaster."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The US government now joins AU and ECOWAS in urging the military to hand over power to a civilian government.

[politicus]

AU has given the military in Burkina Faso two weeks to return power to a civilian government, otherwise they will implement economic and diplomatic sanctions according to the head of AU's Peace and Security Council, Simeon Oyono Esono.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29888244

[politicus]

The army in Burkina Faso now says it will hand over power to a civilian "consensus government".

http://allafrica.com/stories/201411040577.html

[politicus]

Nice piece on the dangers of the situation in Burkina Faso from Daily Maverick, drawing up parallels to North Africa.

http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2014-11-04-burkina-faso-is-the-cure-more-dangerous-than-the-disease/#.VFkZ_8lARSc

"When it comes to improving the lives of average citizens; creating and maintaining political stability; and kickstarting stagnant economies, coups and revolutions don't seem to work all that well."

[politicus]

Transition deal agreed in Burkina Faso.

Representatives from Burkina Faso's army, political parties and civil society groups have agreed that the country's transitional period should last one year until elections can be held in November 2015. A civilian interim government will also be installed.

The presidents of Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal flew to Ouagadougou yesterday to broker the transition deal.

From DW:

"I have confidence and I believe that in days, rather than weeks, the people will come out with an interim leader," Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama, currently the head of the West African ECOWAS alliance, said after the talks."

Mahama mediated the talks together with Macky Sall of Senegal and Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan.

[politicus]

Following its congress Zimbabwe's leading opposition party MDC-T has recalled 15 MPs and 3 Senators, who are now members of the splinter MDC Renewal Team.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201411070312.html